SAMBHAVAMI YUGE YUGE - "Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum"

                      

                            

                                         

                     

SAMBHAVAMI YUGE YUGE -  Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum 

Sambhavami yuge yuge is things that will happen from time to time to get nature’s discipline maintained.  

The name is derived from Sanskrit, meaning “everlasting India.”

In the Hindu Holy Book of Bhagavat Gita, Chapter 4 verses 7 and 8 Lord Sri Krishna motivates Arjuna who refused to fight the Kurukshetra war.

"I am coming, I am coming, when there is a loss of religion, then I am coming, when the iniquity increases, then I am coming to protect the gentlemen, to destroy the wicked I am coming in to establish religion and I am born in the age of era."  

- The verses 7 and 8 - Chapter 4 of Gita means the above.

 

“A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets, and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally, and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection, and knowledge sharing.

-  Definition of Museum

 

 

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi unveiled on May 18 'Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum' (Yuge Yugeen Bharat Rashtriya Sanghralaya), a virtual walk-through of the new and revamped National Museum set to be housed within the North and South Blocks flanking the Raisina Hill in New Delhi.

 

Upcoming Yuge-Yugeen Bharat National Museum - PM Modi unveils 'virtual walkthrough' on May 18, 2023.

The new museum will have an area of 1.17 lakh sqm with 950 rooms spread over a basement, ground, and two more floors.

 

The North Block and the South Block flanking the grand Rashtrapati Bhavan (earlier Viceroy House) on Raisina Hill were built as part of the new capital — New Delhi — designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker.

 

PM  Modi launched a virtual walkthrough of the upcoming "Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum" which will have multiple thematic segments telling the story of India spanning over 5,000 years.

 

Modi unveiled it after inaugurating a three-day International Museum Expo at the Pragati Maidan in which over 1,200 museums are taking part in various segments. It coincides with International Museum Day.

 

International Council of Museums.  Museums have no borders but have a network.

 

International Museum Day, observed on May 18, serves the purpose of increasing recognition for the vital role that museums play in fostering cultural exchange, enhancing diverse cultures, and fostering mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace among different communities.

 

The walkthrough provides a digital glimpse into the new museum that will be housed at the North and South Blocks, and will be “one of the largest museums in the world”.

 

India is a country with a rich history and culture spans over thousands of years.  To showcase this rich cultural heritage, the Government of India has announced plans to  build the Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum at the iconic North and South blocks of the national capital.  The plans for this museum were unveiled by PM Modi on May 18, using a virtual walkthrough at the International Museum Expo.

 

                                 

The North and South blocks of the Central Secretariat complex were built during the 1930s. The South Block houses the Prime Minister’s Office, External Affairs Ministry, and Defense Ministry, while the North Block is home to the ministries of Finance and Home. The government announced plans to convert the North and South Blocks into museums in 2021.

 

The Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum will showcase India’s rich civilizational culture of 5,000-plus years. The museum will cover various sections, tracing the continuous journey of Indian civilization. Visitors can expect to see exhibits of Indian art, architecture, music, dance, literature, and philosophy. The museum will also showcase India’s contribution to science, technology, and mathematics. It will be a one-stop destination for anyone interested in learning about India’s rich history and culture.

 

 

The Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum will have “eight thematic segments” and it will showcase the rich civilizational culture of India spanning over 5,000 years.

 

The virtual walkthrough also provides a digital insight into how galleries inside and gardens outside will appear, once the museum is completed. It showed that the galleries through exhibits will inform about ancient town planning systems, Vedas, Upanishads, and ancient medical knowledge, among others.

 

Mauryan to Gupta Empires, Vijayanagara Empire, Mughal Empire, and rule of several other dynasties were mentioned in the walkthrough.

“These segments broadly include, ancient Indian knowledge, ancient to medieval, medieval, medieval to transition phase, modern India, colonial rule when the Dutch, the British, the Portuguese, and others came to India, the freedom struggle, and finally the 100 years from 1947 onwards, when we got Independence, and the vision ahead,”

 

The North and South Blocks, part of the Central Secretariat, currently house various ministries and departments, and its iconic buildings exude a charm of an era gone by.

The South Block houses the External Affairs Ministry, the Defense Ministry, and the Prime Minister’s Office, while the North Block has the ministries of Finance and Home.

The two identical blocks on the Raisina Hill along with the Rashtrapati Bhavan, symbols of architectural grandeur and administrative power, were built as part of the ‘New Delhi’ imperial capital, between 1911-1931. The new capital was formally inaugurated by the then Viceroy Lord Irwin in February 1931.

The Rajpath — a ceremonial axis that runs from India Gate to Raisina Hill — was in September last year renamed to Kartavya Path by the government, and the revamped Central Vista lawns were thrown open to the public.

The foundation of the present museum building was laid by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on May 12, 1955.

The first phase of the National Museum building was formally inaugurated by then Vice President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on December 18, 1960. The second phase was completed in 1989.

 

India is close to finalizing a one-of-its-kind partnership with the Louvre Museum, in Paris, France proposed to come up at the North Block & South Block atop the Raisina Hill in the national capital.

 

 

     

                               Interior of Louvre Museum, Paris, France

 

 

The Louvre lends over a hundred different masterpieces to the museum annually as part of a sharing arrangement with the partner museums that come with it and has also lent its name to the UAE National Museum until 2037.  The Louvre website, in fact, describes the Louvre Abu Dhabi as "France's largest cultural project abroad".

 

                 

     The Louvre Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates designed by Jean Nouvel in 2017                          

                              

The Indian project could be even more ambitious as well as challenging in terms of both sheer size and spectrum.  While the Louvre Abu Dhabi is spread across 24,000 square meters and came up on a virgin lagoon island - Saadiyat island,  India proposes to create a new National Museum across 1.17 lakh square meters in the 1927 era North Block and South Block.

 

The two symmetrical secretariat buildings flank the Rashtrapati Bhavan across the central axis of Kartavya Path and currently house the Prime Minister's Office, ministries of defense, home affairs, and finance.  

The challenges of working in historical buildings, restoring them and conserving their inherent nature are key to the project, and the Agence France-Museums are highly regarded for their ability to ensure the same.  Part of the work may also involve continued office, and ministerial functioning at the North and South Blocks until the new Central Secretariat building is ready.

 

 

PM Modi's wax statue is installed at the most famous  "Madam Tussauds Wax Museum"  in London.